Recycled & Green Kitchen Gear

Keeping our environment cleaner can be done with a smile. Tired of all that trash? Want some fun kitchen items that last? Give gifts that show creativity as well as social responsibility. These uber cool kitchen accessories will stand the test of time...and your family. All either reusable, recycled or just a funky twist on your old disposable favorites.

In July of 2007, London designer Anya Hindmarch's "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" caused such a commotion that some retail outlets were sold out of the awareness-causing environmentally trendy shopping statement in mere minutes. The product was simple - create a reusable bag and prevent cheapo plastic bags from contributing to ever-growing landfills, or that vortex of plastic in the Pacific Ocean.This is the caffeinated version of that very same product. "I Am Not A Paper Cup," the packaging says. Designed to look like you just stepped out of one of those hip and trendy coffee megachains with a triple grande one-percent two-pump hazelenut no-foam crappuchino with one of their paper-cups. In actuality, you may have made a simple pot of Folgers at home with a blue-packet of sweetener and a glug of milk. Maybe your coffee's not "gourmet" but you can look like you're drinking some of the expensive stuff.

Noodles, particularly the yummy spicy variety, warrant their own food group. Of course not according to any official government published nutritional reports, but for us - yeah, they are a food group. The only real drawback is the tower of Styrofoam cups that inevitably begins to stack up towards the end of the week. That part stinks.If you're tired of sit around slurping noodles out of a flimsy, polystyrene cup, then bring a little glamour back into your life with this retro noodle cup. It's been styled like old school take-away packaging but twice as practical, since it's made from durable ceramic. This ensures you not only avoid any hand burning spillage but also don't create mountains of noodle related filler for the trash heaps. It's almost like recycling, except you get to eat lots and look cool at the same time. A quirky addition to any foodie's kitchen - the Ceramic Noodle Cup will make for a very classy dining experience.

Circular wine-cork trivet

Circular wine-cork trivet converts wine corks from special bottles into a functional conversation piece. After enjoying wine continue the fun by screwing each cork onto the sturdy eight-pronged metal frame. Serves as a unique decorative piece for the table, ready to hold hot dishes at any meal. Makes a great housewarming gift. Metal, 6 1/2 x 1/2".

Exceptionlab Inc. 10-Ounce Ceramic Cup

Enjoy an eco-friendly, whimsical coffee cup in a fun retro design. The nostalgic Greek design of the to-go cup made famous in NYC in 1963 is now available in reusable ceramic. The details, including design, seam, and edge fold, are so good you'll think you're drinking out of the old style paper cup. The blue and white ceramic cup bears the message "We Are Happy To Serve You," and is microwave friendly and dishwasher safe. Certified lead free and up to standard on California's Proposition 65, the cup measures 3-3/4 inches high by 3-1/4 inches wide and holds 10 ounces. It makes a great novelty gift.

Make sure not to throw away these fabulous cups by Rob Brandt!; Designed to look like a discarded, plastic coffee cup, the Crinkle Cup is actually made out of ceramic. A new look at an all-too-familiar form! Set of four. Individual cups also available.

Sommelier Wine Glass
Somewhere between college and careers, our standards;of;drinking cups drastically changed. Maxim Velcovsky manages to combine these two eras by adding a delicate long stem on what looks like your average kegger beer cup,;adding a bit of class (and irony) to;an otherwise mundane glass.

Vase Maker
Place VaseMaker over any container and it makes an instant new vase. This ingenious design has the ability to take even the most mundane vessels and containers and turn them into works of beauty. Comes packaged in an elegant matte black gift box.

Set of five 16-ounce reusable, BPA-free, eco friendly bottles. This is water bottle recycling at its best! Fit in a specially-designed tray that slides neatly into your fridge. Dishwasher safe, eco-friendly water bottles are ideal for a variety of indoor/outdoor activities. This high end set is made from plastic and comes equipped with a looped sport lid for easy attaching on the go.

Fred and Friends. Tipsy Toes are stylish freezable ice cubes that won't dilute your drink and can be used over and over. Put a pair in your punch or dip your toes in your gin and tonic. Tipsy Toes are food safe, filled with pure distilled water and packed 6 per clear package.

Reuseable, waste-free lunch kit includes recycled cotton sack, cloth napkin, 304 food-grade stainless steel beverage bottle,food kozy and two 304 food grade stainless steel food containers. The Kids Konserve waste-free lunch kit and other reusable products were the natural outgrowth of what two women saw as a big need that required immediate attention. With the premise that any business they undertook had to help the environment in some way, it didn’t take much imagination to see how they, as parents of young children, were contributing to garbage landfills, pollutants and sending the wrong message to their own children.

Designer Jeff Davis has put a new spin on recycling by rescuing records and creating fascinating works of functional art. Each snack tray is created from a 12-inch vinyl record featuring classic rock artists! Perfect for fruit, cheese, chips or dry snacks. Individually made in the USA, the shallow tray has the original album label intact and protected with a clear mylar seal.

Flexible recycled bike chain handle and colorful anodized aluminum head. So fun to play with you'll wish twist-offs had never been invented.

Inspired by the sunny, vibrant colors that splashed the decors of the 1950s, but with a nod to today’s eco-friendly home styles, Zak Designs offers its fun Confetti line of tableware. Crafted of 100-percent recycled melamine, the lightweight yet durable collection is BPA-, PVC-, phthalate- and lead-safe and showcases simple, generous shapes with a retro look. This set of four Confetti mixing bowls turns food prep into a party and makes a perfect summertime serving quartet in brightly flecked pink, blue, yellow, and orange. Small to large, the bowls measures 5-3/4 inches, 7-1/4 inches, 9 inches, and 10-3/4 inches in diameter. The set comes with an acetate lid for storage and transport, and it goes safely into the dishwasher on the top rack.

Designer Jeff Davis has put another spin on recycling by rescuing vintage LPs and turning them into very cool coaster sets! Each coaster is created from an actual vinyl LP record and has the original label intact. The coasters are protected from moisture with a clear mylar seal. Each set includes a clear case and 6 coasters in a wide variety of artists/bands. Made in the USA.